Becoming Whole
by MsgtLaborin
Summary: After being defeated by Shining Armor and Cadence, Chrysalis wakes up in a strange house bound by bandages... Rated T for sexual themes and rough times...


Chapter 1: Stranger

Queen Chrysalis awoke slowly as sunlight flooded the room. There were many things she despised on the surface world, but none she hated as much as the sunlight. Even when she changed forms, her eyes could never adjust to the bright intrusion to her dreams… Well, "nightmares" is a better term to use.

Letting out a low growl, she tried to roll over only to find that her legs were bound by some strange white rock. She started to panic.

_'The Princess has caught me! They are probably going to torture me, execute me, then parade my carcass through the streets of Canterlot for attacking her! I have to get out…'_

She gasped from the all too familiar pain of broken bones... That magic blast from that brat Cadence and the fool Shining Armor had drained her of her powers and had thrown her to some forsaken land. It left her feeling broken utterly empty inside: Like a husk of her former self being stomped on by somepony's hoof.

"Please, don't struggle miss." Chrysalis went completely ridged when she heard the male voice speak. "The cast is holding your broken bones in place. If you keep moving it won't heal properly."  
Chrysalis did everything she could to steel her voice, "Who goes there! Show yourself!"

She heard something walk from the side of her bed into her line of sight. He was a tall, lean pegasus stallion covered in tattered rags that wrapped around his body. The only parts of him that she could actually see were his mocha tan muzzle and his coal black mane. Dark sunglasses shielded his eyes, which was odd considering the few rays of sunlight dancing around in the room…

"Are you with the Royal Guard?" Chrysalis hissed at the stranger.  
With a smile he said, "No, I am not."  
She took a moment to think, "Where am I and why am I here?"  
"You are in the Sundrop Deserts. When I found you lying in a dune crater broken and bleeding, I had to help." He drew a strange rag from his pocket and raised it to his muzzle. Once he had wrapped it around his head, he moved to the side of the room towards a small door.

"Sorry to leave you so abruptly, but I have to run into town for some supplies. I should be back in a few hours so please don't try to do anything. You might hurt yourself," he said through the rag. Then, he opened the door and the room was flooded with bright light. Chrysalis closed her eyes at the sudden attack on her irises. She could hear wind howling from outside the building and the blast of air into the room tasted like dirt as she inhaled. The door slammed shut and all was silent and dark again.

Disobeying his warnings, she tried to move from the bed and escape. With all her might, she wriggled her way to the side of the mattress despite the intense pain in her ribs and back. Just as she got to the edge, she looked down at her appendages to see they were cast and bound by a plaster mold.  
With a disappointed grunt, she muttered, "This day has been just PERFECT!"  
Now she moved her way back to the center of the small bed panting. Having to worm her way around the bed was far more physical work she was used to. Being broken and starved didn't help either. She was completely exhausted. Within a few minutes, she decided to just sleep and wait for the colt to come back…

_"What kind of pony are you?" a young colt asked, his voice laced in malice. He was walking closer and closer to a small black foal. She was backing away…  
"Those aren't pegasus wings? How did you get 'em, huh?" another colt asked, his voice filled with the same hatred. She continued to back away.  
"So which is fake, the horn or the wings?" a filly asked sarcastically. "Do you think you're special or something?" She continued to back away, but found her back against a wall.  
"Th-they're both real… Honest…" the small black foal said, her voice shaking from fear.  
"Well then, show us!" the first colt said taking a sudden step towards her. Instinctively, she started to flap her wings, creating an insect like buzz._

"What was that?" the filly said.  
"Sounded like a bug."  
"What a freak!" the bigger colt said. The black foal started to cry.  
"Freak… freak… freak! Freak! FREAK! FREAK!" they chanted in unison. The foal collapsed to the ground crying. One of them kicked her in the ribs, which made her yelp in pain. The others followed their friend's example, and started pummeling the young filly.

The beating ensued for what seemed like an eternity. All she could manage to do was sob and whimper as they continued. Eventually, they got tired and walked away but made sure to say a few choice words. One even spat on her after he stomped on her arm and snapped it like a twig. She let out a blood churning scream.

"If we see you around our school, we will have another little 'talk,' but next time, we won't stop until we break every bone in your body."

The young filly was left all alone to cry and shout out in agony…  
  
Chrysalis opened her eyes slowly, tears clouding her vision. She let them roll down her cheeks and began weeping quietly. After a few minutes, she looked around the empty room to see that it was a part of a very small cabin. From the bed, she could see a small stove, a round table with three chairs, a bookshelf, and a workbench with a dresser next to it. The only other thing in the room was an armchair facing the closed window and a small stand with a pair of reading glasses next to it. She noted that the room was covered in a thin layer of dust as the light bounced off of the tiny particles flying through the air.

She watched a small particle dance around her when it suddenly ran from her sight as the door opened. This time, the howling winds were much louder and there was a lot of sand blowing into the small abode. The pegasus pulled with all of his might to close the door and with a great heave, the thin wood was sucked back into it's frame. She could hear him breathing deeply through all the cloth that still covered his maw.

"Wheew! Now that – that was a sandstorm!" he managed as he removed the rag. He started to chuckle, "I think I'm gettin' outta shape!"  
As he recovered, she quickly rubbed her face against the pillow to hide her tears. The last thing she wanted was a complete stranger to think she was weak.

He walked over to the table and dropped one of his saddlebags down, spilling its contents. He sifted through the pile and after a moment, he found what he was looking for. From what she could see, she guessed it was a small plant with a long winding root. Throwing the plant into a mortar and pestle and set to grinding it up. After the plant had been ground into a fine powder, he put it in a bowl and started looking for another ingredient. Her curiosity had been piqued…

"What are you doing over there?" she asked very curtly. He glanced over his shoulder a moment, but then returned to his work.  
Her eyes narrowed as she starred daggers at the stranger's back. She spoke in an irritated tone, "I asked what you are doing? Was that not clear?"  
"Oh, it was plenty clear, but it was very rude. I tend to ignore rude things." His hoof landed on a small vial of liquid. Picking it up he then poured the purple liquid into the bowl of powder. With a small crackle and puff of smoke, the ingredients mixed into something that smelled terribly foul. Chrysalis had to cover her nose.

"Oh lord! What is that stench? It smells worse than a rotting Cave Worm!"  
The pegasus smiled, "That is the smell of your medicine. It should help with the broken bones as well as fight off any infection that your body might have contracted." With the bowl of repugnant liquid in hoof, he slowly approached the bed she was on.  
Her eyes went wide. "Wh-what are you doing?" she said trying to back away from him, but the combination of bandages and searing pain held her in place. She was at his mercy.

"Why are you afraid? I'm just bringing you your medicine…" he started to chuckle maniacally under his breath, which only made Chrysalis start to panic even more.  
"Th – that is why!" Once again she tried to escape, but failed miserably. As he reached the bed, he held her down with one hoof and held the bowl to her lips. His touch was firm enough to keep her from moving, but also gentle and careful so that he didn't hurt her. "Now say, 'Ah!'"

Chrysalis's words were muffled through her closed muzzle, refusing to obey his commands.  
"C'mon. You don't want to do this the hard way, do you?" he asked. She simply turned her head to the side and closed her eyes like a foal refusing to eat her vegetables.  
He sighed, "Very well then…" and in one quick move, he moved his second hoof up to her mouth and opened her jaw by squeezing her cheeks together. The putrid liquid spilled into her unsuspecting maw. It wasn't much of a surprise that it did NOT taste much better than it smelled. She coughed and gagged as it slid it's way down her throat like a large slug.

"Wh – GAH! – What the Tartarus was that?" she said holding her plaster-coated hooves to her mouth. The after taste that stained her tongue was almost unbearable. Luckily for her dying taste buds, he pulled out a small bottle of liquid that she took and drank greedily.  
He started laughing again, "That was a solution of Cinder Root and extract of Nightshade. A little fast healing potion I learned how to make many years ago."  
She stared at him as if he was crazy, "Aren't both of those ingredients toxic?"  
"Separate, yes, they are both the most lethal poisons in all of Equestria. However, when combined, they become one of the fasted healing potions known to pony kind," the stranger finished as he walked over to his workbench. "It's effects should become apparent momentarily."

Chrysalis was preparing to argue when she felt a strange warmth welling up inside of her. As it washed over her body, her pains were replaced by numbness, and then she could feel nothing but a light aching. She was completely stunned. Being royalty, she had access to some of the best potions out there and had tried many different healing solutions, but none were as potent as this. How had she never heard of this before?

"I – Wha – Huh?" she stammered, completely shocked.  
"I'll take that as it is working," he said turning around to see her. She just stared at him, mouth agape.  
He shied away a little. "Do I have something on my face?" he asked with a nervous chuckle.  
She finally composed herself and decided to ask the question that had been on her mind since he left, "Why are you helping me? Do you even know who I am?"

"You know, you remind me of my daughter when she was just a foal. Always asking silly questions," he said over his shoulder. "I helped you because aiding a pony in need is the right thing to do, regardless of who they are or what they've done."  
Chrysalis scoffed, "What a stupid answer!"  
"Well, I'm going to tell you the same thing I told my little filly, 'You ask a stupid question, you're going to get a stupid answer!'" he stated laughing. Chrysalis didn't like being talked to in such a demeaning way, but she still found his sarcasm rather amusing.

Just then, she noticed that the potion had restored her powers and she could feel his joy, his love for his daughter, and his laughter pouring out of him like a fine wine. Using her magic, she reached forth and started to absorb the healthy emotions, but the taste was tainted by an inner turmoil. This stranger was haunted by his past and it affected everything he did. She imagined that if she tried feeding on her own emotions, they would taste the exact same…

Her train of thought was broken as he spoke, "Anyway… The medicine will help take the edge off and speed up the process, but it will take about a week for you to be up and moving again."  
Her eyes were downcast, "I am afraid I cannot wait that long. I am sure my sub – I mean, my family needs me. I must return to them post haste."  
She tried to raise herself out of bed, but the strain caused her to become light headed and she started falling face first towards the ground.

"Whoa there!" the pegasus moved to her side with amazing speed and grace. He caught her in his hooves just before her head collided with the hard wood floor. Lifting her back into the bed with ease he said, "You need to take it easy. Your 'Family' can wait until you are well enough for me to move you. For now, however, you need to rest." The stallion put her under the covers of the bed and tucked her in, drawing up the comforter from the foot of the bed.

"Why are you doing that? It is already extremely hot," Chrysalis questioned. The room was extremely hot thanks to the desert sun beating down on the small cabin.  
He just continued to tuck her in, "It is going to get dark out soon and as soon as the sun dips behind the horizon, it will get very cold very quickly."  
Chrysalis protested, "I do not need this bedding to keep me warm. My kind are used to living in colder places than this."

The pegasus started to walk over to the small chair by the window. "Trust me, you'll need them. In your condition the warmer you can keep yourself the better."  
He plopped his flank in the armchair with his back to her and removed his sunglasses, placing them carefully on the table next to him.  
"If you need me, just holler," he stated with a wave of his hoof. Just as she was about to respond, she heard a light snore.

_'Wow. I didn't think anypony could fall asleep so quickly…' _she thought, bewildered. After a few minutes, she gave up trying to figure out how he fell asleep so quickly.

Once again, she settled down under the covers, but tossed the heavy comforter aside,  
_'I do not need such a heavy quilt. The hollow gets far colder than anything this desert could possibly muster'  
_  
Oh how wrong she was…


End file.
